


his start line

by tallboy_benny



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Gen, chopper tries to piss people off as usual, idk what to tag except that tbh, kallus and kanan develop some mututal respect, me: time to give kallus a backstory, no one:, yeehaw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:00:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24270082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tallboy_benny/pseuds/tallboy_benny
Summary: (Takes place somewhere before season four- after Kallus’s rescue during Zero Hour, but before Heroes of Mandalore- so the Ghost crew is already on Yavin IV.)He sighed, arms loosely clasping behind his back in a move that was practically subconscious second nature by now. “To answer your question, Jarrus, no I could not sleep.”Jarrus shrugged, hands in his pockets. “Happens to all of us.” Alexsandr was even more surprised when the Jedi followed his statement up with, “Want to talk about it?”
Relationships: C1-10P | Chopper & Alexsandr Kallus, Kanan Jarrus & Alexsandr Kallus
Comments: 5
Kudos: 59





	his start line

**Author's Note:**

> first swr fic ya yeet

Alexsandr Kallus was used to weird things by now.  _ Especially  _ now that he was living alongside the Lothal crew on the Ghost, because according to Rebel command he was ‘less of a liability” where he could be ‘watched over’. It made sense, and he certainly didn’t blame them, but living on the same ship you’ve spent years trying to capture with people you’ve seen tortured in front of you? Yeah. Weird- to say the least. 

And just to top it all of, he was sharing a bunk with  _ Jarrus _ .

Not that Alexsandr didn’t like- well, more like respect- the Jedi, but the man was slightly...unnerving. 

There wasn’t anyone else he could bunk with, though, so stuck with Jarrus it was. At least he tended to go to sleep well after Alexsandr had- though sometimes he really couldn’t be sure if the man even slept since he woke up alone in the room. (It was more likely Jarrus simply was an early riser, but Alexsandr still chalked it up to Jedi-Force-Nonsense anyway.)

Tonight was no different- Jarrus was nowhere to be seen, despite the fact that a stray glance at the chrono on his wrist told him it was nearly 0200 hours. Alexsandr dragged himself into a sitting position, back resting against the cool metal wall. 

Admittedly, he hadn’t been sleeping well either- Thrawn’s...methods of interrogation, plus all the built up stress and fear he’d had to shove deep down, had started to pile up. He’d always been a thorough thinker, but now that was starting to manifest in him continuously overthinking and rethinking every decision he’d made. 

Sighing, Alexsandr swung his legs over the edge of the bunk and dropped down as quietly as he could. Perhaps he could enlist the help of that C1 astromech for a bit, enough to get his mind off things.

The door slid open with a faint _woosh_ , and as Alexsandr stepped out into the hallway he could hear quiet voices coming from the ship’s gallery. Sounded like Jarrus and Captain Syndulla…best to avoid them.

He hadn’t been an ISB agent for nothing, he thought wryly as he moved with quick, silent footsteps down the hall.The C1 unit was plugged into a port at the end of said hall, looking like it was powered down or at least in some sort of low-power mode.

“Psst- Droid-” Ah, kriff, what was it called? “Chopper. Can you assist me with something?”

It beeped irritatedly at him, and he winced as the sound echoed faintly. “Will you keep it quiet? I’d prefer it if the entire ship  _ wasn’t  _ woken up.” 

He’s not the greatest at understanding non-Imperial droids, having grown used to the Imperial ones speaking mostly in codes and mechanical jargon, but Chopper’s beeps sounded more like a question this time. “I need to do something to keep my mind occupied, but I don’t have the clearance necessary for the shooting ranges. Mind giving me a hand?”

Chopper made a whirring noise before turning around and rolling down the hallway. Alexsandr sighed.  _ So much for hoping to be unnoticed. _ He was just about to return to his room, maybe claim that the droid malfunctioned if Captain Syndulla came asking what he was doing awake, when the astromech reappeared around the corner. It made a sort of cheering noise, waving a blaster in one metal clamp and a stormtrooper helmet in the other.

Alexsandr didn’t ask where Chopper had gotten them. He wasn’t sure he really wanted to know. He simply nodded his thanks, stepping aside to let the droid pass and lead the way. 

They exited through the airlock- he figured Chopper had decided it would be less noticeable that way (and he was also pretty sure the droid had blocked it from appearing on Hera’s sensors anyway).

“I’m going to assume you know where you’re going?”

He received a beep of acknowledgement in response.

Several minutes later, and Alexsandr was  _ still  _ following the droid through the woods. “How much further do you plan on dragging me?” He grumbled, pushing yet another branch out of the way. Chopper replied with the droid equivalent of a snort, waving one of its free arms in the direction of the path they’re on. He shook his head, but a traitorous faint smile was already making its appearance and betraying his amusement. 

The droid waved its arm again, smacking at the low-hanging leaves in front of them.

“Through here?”

Another affirmative beep.

Alexsandr pushed the branches aside, ducking through the opening. He raised an eyebrow in Chopper’s direction. “I’m impressed.” 

It was little more than an open clearing, but more long than it was wide. Perfect for target practice. Chopper whistled this time, wacking him on the back of the leg with the blaster. 

“Don’t worry, I’m going.”

Letting out a satisfied noise, the droid took off towards the opposite end and ducked behind a cluster of rocks. With a wave of its arm it held up the helmet and wiggled it back and forth. Alexsandr could practically hear it saying ‘come and get it’. He huffed a small laugh, raising the blaster and letting himself get lost in the familiar motions. 

“Couldn’t sleep?”

Alexsandr whipped around at the sudden voice, blaster trained on the presence before he could stop himself. He let the barrel drop once he got a look at them. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to startle someone in a shooting range?”

Jarrus raised an eyebrow. “Is that what this is?”

Alexsandr crossed his arms, blaster now hooked to his belt. “Ask your droid.”

Chopper beeped smugly, Jarrus running a hand over his face with a sigh. “Really? That’s why you helped him?”

“What-”

“Chop says he only helped you to piss off the rest of us.”

He couldn’t help but grin at that. “I should have figured there was some sort of ulterior motive going on.”

To his surprise, the Jedi snorted. “Yeah, probably. That’s just how Chopper is, ninety percent of the time.” Jarrus’s head turned towards the blaster, and though he was both blind and wearing a mask Alexsandr still couldn’t help but get the impression the man knew more than he saw. 

He sighed, arms loosely clasping behind his back in a move that was practically subconscious second nature by now. “To answer your question, Jarrus, no I could not sleep.”

Jarrus shrugged, hands in his pockets. “Happens to all of us.” Alexsandr was even more surprised when the Jedi followed his statement up with, “Want to talk about it?”

“What do you mean?”

“I think I was pretty clear. And if you’re gonna ask how I know, I sensed it. Your emotions are pretty strong in the Force for someone who’s not Force Sensitive.” 

“I suppose that comes from years of training myself to be the opposite,” Alexsandr remarked dryly. “There’s some stumps over here if you’d like to sit.”

Jarrus didn’t reply verbally, simply making his way across the clearing and sitting down. Alexsandr didn’t offer to help, and it was pretty clear the Jedi appreciated that. 

“Well?”

Alexsandr sighed, sitting down as well. “I...suppose it’s still a leftover habit, but I can’t seem to stop...thinking,” he finished lamely.

Jarrus nodded slowly. “You mean about outcomes of everything that’s happened.” 

Something about it being a statement and not a question gave him a little bit of relief. “I suppose that’s a way to put it. Not only what could have gone wrong, though, but also those who will suffer because of my actions.”

“...Were you protecting someone?”

Alexsandr frowned slightly. “Again, that’s a way to put it. It was my choice to join the Empire, yes. And it was still my choice to defect, however much credit Garazeb  _ attempts  _ to claim.”

“ _ Garazeb _ , huh?”

He thanked every god in the universe that Jarrus couldn’t see the faint red on his face. “That’s not the point.”

“That’s  _ my  _ point.” 

Was...Jarrus messing with him? He decided to focus on  _ that  _ particular development later. “Anyways,  _ my  _ point was that my choices have the potential to affect others.”

“Yknow, that’s  _ generally  _ how choices work.”

Oh, Jarrus was definitely messing with him. With a sigh, he decided to just blurt it out. “I still have family on Coruscant. Word of my defection will undoubtedly make its way up the chain of command once it gets out that Thrawn and Pryce, of all people, let me slip away. As I’m sure you know, the Empire often chooses to exact punishment not on the accused but on those they hold dear.”

Jarrus was quiet for a moment. “...Yeah, I’m pretty sure I know what you’re sayin’.” 

Alexsandr stared at the ground. “My mother knows how to handle herself, she lived as a child on Corellia. But my sisters and brother have never known anything besides Coruscant.” The implications of his words didn’t go unnoticed. It was extremely likely he wouldn’t be seeing them again for a long time if they were so stuck in the midst of the height of Imperial power and propaganda.

“Older or younger?”

“...all younger.” He couldn’t help but smile faintly.

Jarrus smirked in his direction. “Never pegged  _ you  _ for the oldest sibling type.”

“Very funny, Jarrus.” Though he wouldn’t admit it, the Jedi’s conversationally teasing tone was helping in extraordinary amounts. 

There was a brief pause before Jarrus said, “Call me Kanan.”

He blinked, surprised, then slowly grinned. “I  _ would  _ say call me Alexsandr. But I think Kallus is a touch easier to say.”

Kanan held out a hand. “Nice to meet you, Alexsandr Kallus.”

“The same to you, Kanan Jarrus.”

Said Jedi stood, stretching. “As much as I’d love to stay here and get eaten by whatever wildlife is roaming this planet, I think I’m gonna head to bed.”

Alexsandr shook his head. “Good night, then. But I think I’ll stay out here a little while longer.”

Kanan nodded, heading back to the Ghost along the path Alexsandr had made. Once he’d left, Alexsandr let his shoulders droop. He hadn’t outright spoken about his family in a long time- it wasn’t exactly Imperial protocol, and time off wasn’t exactly a given allowance for most. 

With a sigh, he stood and waved Chopper off. “I appreciate the help, Chopper. You can go back too if you want, I’ll find my way.” The droid beeped affirmatively at him before rolling off and leaving him alone in the clearing. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, but soon enough he was heading back to the ship. Sharing a bunk with Kanan wasn’t seeming so bad anymore.

The next morning, when Alexsandr opened the door to see Bridger and Garazeb chasing Chopper through the corridors, the sound of Sabine’s airbrushes from her room, and Kanan and Captain Syndulla talking quietly in the recreational area, he couldn’t help the smile on his face.

_ I have a long way to go before  _ _ everyone’s acceptance….but I think I’m on the right path. _

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for readin yall! i might consider making this a multi chapter fic w kallus and the rest of the crew, so be sure to leave a kudos or comment if you enjoyed! peace out nerds  
> ~em


End file.
